At our Montessori school, The Little gradautes Early Learning Centre, I observed a child in our classroom today struggling to put on his left shoe. It took him 8 minutes. He was frowning, breathing hard, sticking his tongue out in deep concentration.
As an adult, my instinct was screaming:
- “Let me just help him.” (It would be faster).
- “Good job! You can do it!” (It would be encouraging).
But I stayed completely silent. Why? Because you never interrupt a child in the ‘Flow State.’
Every time we interrupt a child’s struggle to “help” them or even to “praise” them, we snap their concentration. We train them to look at us for approval, instead of looking at the task for completion.
The moment I say “Good job,” he stops working to smile at me. The flow is gone. The focus is broken.
We blame screens for short attention spans. But often, it is our own impatience. We value “efficiency” over “discovery.”
So, a challenge for parents this week: If your child is struggling with a puzzle, a button, or a shoe—and they are not asking for help—do nothing. Protect their struggle. That silence is where the brain grows.
#Montessori #Parenting #Focus #EarlyChildhood #LittleGraduates #ChildDevelopment
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